Masked robbers raided a supermarket in nearby Nuneaton overnight – but left empty-handed as the tills were empty.

Three men wearing balaclavas forced their way in to the Asda store, in Newtown Road in the town centre, at 12.15am this morning and tried to steal money.

However, as the store was not set to open for another six hours, there was no cash in the tills.

It is believed the gang were armed with crowbars.

But when their efforts were thwarted they fled the scene in a blue car which was waiting outside the store.

Warwickshire Police now investigating the bungled raid.

Anyone with information, or who was in the area at the time of the incident, is being asked to call police on 101 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

The incident follows a break-in at Asda in Hinckley by three burglars in the early hours of Saturday November 1, and a raid at Asda in Shepshed which police are linking on November 6. It is not known if police are linking last night's incident with the Leicestershire break-ins.

In Warwickshire there has also been a recent spate of raids at stores in Coventry, including some in which the offenders have been armed with machetes, and a raid at the Co-op in Stockingford, Nuneaton.